Integrating mechanism



Sept. 28, l943.' c. B. MOORE INTEGRATING MECHANISI Filed Jan. 4, 1940 2 Shoots-Shoot 1 FIG.|.

INVENTOR COLEMAN 8 ATTORNEY p 28, .1943. B. MOORE 2,330,606

I INTEGRATING MECHANISM Filid Jan. 4. 1940 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR COLEMAN B. MOORE ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 28, 1 943 INTEGRATING MECHANISM Coleman B. Moore, Carroll Park, Pa., assignor to The Brown Instrument Company, Philadelphia, 2a., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 4, 1940, Serial No. 312,384

4 Claims.

The general object of the present invention is v to provide a highly accurate counting mechanism that is designed primarily for use as an integrator in flow meters. The counting mechanism may,

however, be used for other purposes in which a.

counting mechanism of high accuracy is desirable.

While the general features of the present invention are adapted for other uses, the invention was primarily devised for use in a flow meter instrument including integrating and recording means, and of the type in which the instrument includes an inductance bridge receiver element connected by electrical conductors to the transmitter element of said bridge, said transmitter element being external to the instrument and associated with the manometer of a flow meter in a known manner. In such an arrangement, variations in the fluid flow rate measured, act through the manometer, to give movements to the movable magnetic core or armature of the transmitter, and such movements produce, by electro-magnetic action, corresponding movements of the movable core or armature of the receiver element of the bridge, the last mentioned armature forming the movable measuring member of the instrument proper. I

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated herein by way of example, a segmental lever is periodically moved from a predetermined zero position to a position determined by the value of the flow that is being measured. Each of these movements is added by a counter mechanism to totalize the flow for a given period of time.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to, and forming a part of this specification. For a better under standing of the invention, however, its advantages, and specific objects attained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig.,1 is a front view of an instrument embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the integrator mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a view of portions of Fig. 1 taken on a larger scale; and

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

The instrument shown in the drawings is of the circular chart type, the instrument mechanism being enclosed in a casing or housing, which may be in the form of a short cylinder I provided with a front door 2 connected to the casing body by a hinge 3. The mechanism within the instrument' includes an inductance bridge receiver element, comprising vertically disposed coils 4 and 5.

arranged end to end, and an armature 6 axially movable in the coils 4 and'li. The receiving element of the instrument may be similar in type and in its inductancebridge association with the manometer actuated transmitter element of the bridge, with the arrangement disclosed in the Harrison Patent 1,743,852, granted January 14, 1930, and hence need not be illustrated or described herein.

In the construction shown, the armature 6 is suspended from/a lever l, to which the upper end of a stem or link extension 8 from the armature 6 is pivotally connected. The angular movements imparted to the lever l by the armature 8, are transmitted through a link 9 to a lever 10. The latter is pivoted on a lever I l which is Journalled on a supporting pivot II. The angular movements of the levers Ill and H, efiected as hereinafter described control the adjustment of a flapper valve I3 (Fig. 3), which regulates the discharge of air through the discharge or bleeder outlet nozzle H, from the pressure chamber l5 of a bellows unit or fluid pressure device l6, and thereby regulates the pressure in the chamber l5 and the operative eifect of the device l6. As hereinafter described, the device l6 adjusts a recording pen arm I1 and controls the action of an integrating mechanism l8 which forms the subject matter of this invention. An electric motor l9, provides a timing function, in that through speed reducing gears 20, it rotates the driving element 2| which rotates the chart disc 22 on which the pen arm i1 makes a record. Air under suitable pressure is supplied to the pressure chamber l5 of the device 16 through a pipe 23. Air is bled or vented from the chamber [5 through the nozzle 14, at a rate determined by the adjustment of the flapper valve l3, and so as to maintain the pressure in the chamber l5 required for the operative functions of the device l6.

The pressure chamber l5 of the unit or device l8, has a movable wall, formed by a bellows element 24 within the cup shaped body of the unit.

The bellows 24 is connected at one end to the annular head 25 attached to the rim of said cup shaped body. The other end of the bellows 24 is closed by an end wall 26, which is movable. A rod or stem 21 within, and extending longitudinally of the bellows, has one end secured to the movable bellows end wall 28, and pivotally conedge 33 of the lever is maintained constantly in r The flapper valve engagement with the pin 32. I I3 is pivoted at 35 on a bracket 36 attached to plate 3I', and is spring biasedfor movementin the clockwise direction toward the end of they nozzle I4, so that, left to itself, the flapper valve I3 tends to close the nozzle I4, and thereby increase the pressure in the chamber I5. The flapper valve I3 is adjusted toward and-away from the nozzle I4, by a pin, or projection 31 from the lever I0. The'pin 31 maybe moved to adjust the valve I3eitherby an angular move- -ment of the lever ID, or angular adjustments of the lever I I effected through the pin 32 by the contraction and expansion of the bellows 24, re-

sulting from anincrease'or decrease of the presvary the pressurein the chamber I5'as, required' to make the angular position of the crank shaft 29 dependent in a predetermined manner on the axial adjustment position ofthe armature 6 relative'to the coils 4 and 5{ "on an increase in the fluid flow, which, with the arrangement ,shown, produces an upward movementof the --armatu re 6, the direct effect of the armature,

- movement is to give counter-clockwise adjust- 'ments to ,thelevers I and vIII.. The resultant counter-clockwise movement of the f pin 31 per- :mits a movement ofthe flappervalve I3 toward the nozzle I4, Wherebythe pressure. in the cham- 7 wber- I5 is increased. That ;increase fof pressure .moves the bellows end 26 to the right, and, through the stem 21 and pivot pin 28, .gives' a counterclockwise adjustment to the bell crank 29, whereby the pin 32 acting on the lever II 1 gives a counter-clockwise adjustment to the latter. The resultant bodily movement to the right just sufiicient to prevent further movement in either directionofthe bellows endZB and stem I Conversely, on a decrease in the rate of flow measured, and a corresponding down movement of the armature 6, the resultant clockwise adjustment of the. lever I0, moves the flapper valve I3 away from the nozzle I4, andreduces the pressure inthe chamber I5. 'Thiszresults in a movement of the bellows end" 26 and stem 2? ,to the left.

' Those movements are terminated as soon as the resultant clockwise adjustments of thebell crank 29, pin 32, and lever II, permits a closing movement of the flapper valve I3 into the position required forthemaintenanceof the pressure in the chamber I5 necessary to arrest the expan- I sion of the bellows 24.

To properly relate the positions and relative movements of the 'bellcrank lever I and a rmature 6, the lever 1, comprises in addition to the arm tov which the stem 8 is directly pivoted, a

second arm 38, also journalledon the pivot pin 39 and adjustably clamped to the first mentioned arm by a clamping screw 40. An adjusting screw mounted in the part I and having an eccentric head projection 4| received in a slot in the first mentioned arm of the lever 1, serves by its rotation when the clamping screw 40 is released, to angularly adjust the arm 38 relative to the lever part to which the stem 8 is directly connected. The lever part 38 is formedwith a slot 42 curved about the axis of the pivotal connection between the lever I0 and link 9. The slot/42 receives a clamping screw 43 by which a part 44, adjustable along the slot 42, may be clamped to the lever part 38. The lower end of the link 9 is pivotally connected to the part 44. The lever I carries an adjustable counterweight 45 by which the lever with its connections is gravitationally balanced. The pen arm I! which records the rate of flow on the record disc 22 is turned about the axis of a pivot 46 by an arm 41 rigidly connected to the pen arm and connected by a link 48 to the crank arm 29. As shown, the connection between the link 48 and crank 29 is made adjustable to :vary the leverage with which the crank arm acts on the pen arm. The adjustment provisions comprise a part 50 adjustably secured to .the arm 29 'by a clamping screw 5I passing through an elongated slot in the arm 28. The lower end of the link 48 is pivoted to the part 50.

' In various instruments in which thespresent invention, may be used with advantage, the move- 7 ments of the movable measuring member are not in linear proportion to'the changes in value of the quantity measured. Thus, inthe flow meter illustrated'and described, the movements of the receiver core 6 are-proportional'to the square root of 'the rate "of flow-measured. In general, it is preferable, and in some caseshighly desirable from thepracticalstandpoint, that the exhibiting 7 element of the instrument, whether 'it be a record- 40 ing pen' or an indicating pointer, should move in linear proportion to the changes in the quantity measured. Such linear movement of the pen arm I! of the instrument illustrated, is readily obtained by suitably shaping the edge 33 of the 45 lever II engaged by the pin 32.

It is desirable that the pressure in chamber I5 isnot permitted to fall below the value necessary to maintain the pen at zero or above the value necessary-to maintain the pen at full scale not- Bd withstanding deflection of lever '7 below its position corresponding to. zero position of pen II or above its positionfcorresponding to'full scale position of pen II. {To thisend the upper and lower "ends of the surface 33-of lever II are shaped as 65, shown. Asmember 29 is deflected clockwise beyond thepoint at which pen, I! coincides with its zero scale'position as a result of a decrease in pressure in chamber I5, member II will be permitted to move, clockwise to neutralize said pressure and maintain the pen substantially at zero. As member 29 is deflected counter-clockwise beyond the point at which pen I! coincides with its full scale position, member II will b turned counter-clockwise to minimize suc movement.

' The integrating mechanism'with' which thi "invention is more particularly concerned de rives its counting movements from the oscilla tions of a segme'nt'shape d driving member 5 (Fig. 2) that is pivoted on the shaft 30 whic carries the bellcrank lever 29. This member ha a driving edge 53 provided with a projection 5 at its lower end that is adapted to'be engage by-a pin 55 on a lever 56 that is. also pivote on the shaft 30. The segment 52 is lever 1| counter-clockwise.

by moved away from edge 53 by means of en- 'This cam is driven at a suitable speed from motor [9 to give suitable movements to the lever 56;

The ram 60, direction from rotating in a counter-clockwise the position shown in Fig. 2, permits lever 56 to move under the influence of spring 58 until a projection 6| on the segment member 52 engages'an adjustable stop 62 in the form of the head of a screw in the annular head 25. This stop is held in its adjusted position by a lock nut 63. As the roller 59 of cam 60 starts upward and to the right it will engage the lower edge of lever 56 to move that lever counter-clockwise against the bias of spring 58. The member 52 will move along with lever 56 under the bias of spring 51 until a projection 64 on that member engages the edge 65 of bell crank 29. Lever 56 will continue to travel upward to a point determined by roller 59. This point is slightly higher than the-segment 52 would go, if the bellows 24 had moved bellcrank 29 to full scale position.

From the above it will be seen that the segment 52 moves between limits determined by engagement between its projection 61 and stop 62 and between its projection 64 and edge 65 of the lever 29. The first limit is determined by adjusting stop member 62 so that when there is zero flow 6! and 62 will be in engagement and 64 and 65 will be in engagement so that there is no movement ofsegment 52. The second limit, as above described will be determined by the position of lever 29, or will be proportional to the fiow being measured at that instant.

The clockwise movement of segment 52 is used to actuate a counter by imparting its motion to a disc .66 that is rotatable on a shaft 61. The shaft 61 is mounted on a lever 68 that is pivoted on shaft 69 and biased in a clockwise direction by a spring 18, to bring the periphery of disc 66 into frictional engagement with the driving edge 53 of segment member 52. Also pivoted on shaft 69 is a lever 1| having a cam following roller 12 on its lower end engaging the periphery of cam 60. This lever is also biased in a clockwise direction by a spring 13. The periphery of cam 60 is so shaped with respect to the angular position of roller 59 that the low portion of the cam will come under roller 12 as roller 59 reaches a position in which lever 56' begins to move clockwise. This permits spring 18 to move disc 66 into engagement with edge 53 just prior to the time that segment 52 starts to move clockwise. When segment 52 has finished its clockwise movement the high portion of cam 66 will come under roller 12 to move The disc 66 is theregagement between a brake member 14 on the lever 1| and a brake disc 15 also attached to the shaft 61. The rocking movement of the support 68 of disc 66 is only large enough tope rmit a clearance between disc 65 and edge 53 as the latter moves counter-clockwise and is therefore too small to have any effect upon the gearing that is now to be described.

Rotation of the disc 66 is imparted to a counter 18, located in the bottom of the casing 2, by means of a worm gear 11 on the shaft 61. This gear drives a worm wheel 18 attached to the end of a shaft 19 journalled in a bracket 88 attached to the supporting plate 31f A connecting member 8| connects the shaft 19 with a flexible shaft 82 extending around the edge of the casing to the counter 16. A clip 83 acts to help support the shaft 82.

The operation of the integrator will be apparent from the above description. A short summary will, however, now be given. As the segment 52 is moved counter-clockwise to a position depending upon the position of lever 29 the disc 66 will be held out of engagement therewith and prevented from rotating by engagement between brake 14 and brake wheel 15. Cam 60 will then permit the disc 66 to move against edge 53 and segment 52 will then be rotated clockwise by lever 56 and spring 58 until projection 61 engages stop 62. This motion rotates the disc 66 and, through the gearing 11, 18 and shafts 19 and 82, actuates the counter 16 an amount proportional to the flow as measured by lever 59.

The speed at which cam 60 is driven may be selected in accordance with the type of service for which the flow meter is to be used. The periodic motion of segment 52 serves to add the successive measurements of the position of lever 29 in a simple and positive manner. Slipping between edge 53 and disc 66 may be entirely obviated with a resultant increase in accuracy of the instrument by making the force of spring 10 sufficient to prevent such slipping and by making the disc 66 from some suitable material, or by corrugating the edge thereof.

In an instrument of the type illustrated, it is convenient, in many cases, to provide a record on the instrument shown, a record of the integrated value of the flow, is made on the chart disc 22 adjacent its periphery, as shown in Fig. 1, by a pen arm 92 pivoted at 93 and connected by a crank arm 84 and link'85 to a lever 86, which is operatively engaged by the edge of a cam 81 carried by the connecting member 8|. The cam 81 (Fig. 4) is shown as having a spiral edge with its minimum and maximum radial portions connected by a radial shoulder 88. In consequence, the

record formed by the pen arm 92, will consist of a 4 plurality of inclined portions 89, each connected to each adjacent portion by a transverse portion 98. The angular displacement between adjacent transverse curve portions 98 will correspond to the time interval required for the chart movement during which the integrated value of the flow is that represented by a single revolution of the shaft 19. Each curve portion is a short are, the radius of curvature of which is equal to the length of the pen arm, and each inclined portion 89 will approximate or depart from a straight line, accordingly, as the rate of flow is approximately constant or varies during the period in which said inclined portion is formed.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, instruments in which the movable measuring member is the core of an induction bridge receiver element, are not restricted to use in measuring rates of flow, but is well adapted for use where the core of the transmitter element of the bridge is moved by changes in temperature or liquid level or pressure or of other physical quantitles or conditions.

While in accordance with the provisions of the form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth inthe appended claims, and that in some cases certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. In a measuring instrument a shaft, a lever pivoted on said shaft and biased in one direction, a support also pivoted on said shaft and biased in the same direction, connected members rotatable on said support about an axis parallel to that of said shaft, one being in the path of movement of said lever and engaged thereby, means to periodically move said lever into and out of engagement with the member engaged thereby and thereby move said members against said bias, and means to rotate said members various amounts while they are at one end of their movement, and said one member is out of engagement with said lever.

2. In a measuring instrument, the combination of a counter operating mechanism including a lever having a curved driving edge, means to move said lever in opposite directions through a path of a length proportional to the value of a measurable condition, one end of said path being fixed, a driven member having a curved driven edge adapted to be rotated by engagement with said curved driving edge, a swinging support for said driven member, and means to move said support radially of said edges to bring said curved driven edge into or out of driving engagement with said curved driving edge, said former edge engaging said latter edge upon movement thereof in only one direction through said path, said means to move said support including a brake means operative upon movement of said driven means out of engagement with said curved driving edge to restrain said driven means from movement.

3. In a measuring instrument, the combination of a counter actuating mechanism including an element having a curved driving edge, means to move said element in opposite directions through a path of a length proportional to the value of a measurable condition, a pivoted bracket, a retatable disc mounted on said bracket, a brake normally applied to the periphery of said disc, a second rotatable disc on said bracket and connected to said first disc, driving means operating in synchronism with said moving means to bring the periphery of said second mentioned disc into engagement with the curved driving edge of said element periodically during movement of said element in one direction through said path, said driving means simultaneously releasing said brake, whereby said driving edge may rotate said discs, and means to operate a counter from the rotation of said discs.

4. In a measuring instrument, the combination of a counter operating shaft to be driven, a rotatable driving disc operatively connected to said shaft, a rocking support for said disc, which support is biased in one direction, a brake disc coaxial with and connected to said driving disc, a pivoted brake lever adapted to engage the periphery of said brake disc and move said support against its bias, an oscillating element adapted to engage the periphery of said driving disc to drive the same, means to oscillate said element through a path of a length proportional to the value of a condition, means to move said brake lever through a path, and means to operate and synchronize said two moving means to bring said driving disc into engagement with said element during one direction of travel of the latter and to move said support against its bias at other times.

COLEMAN B. MOORE. 

